Safety, Co-Regulation, and Polyvagal Theory:

This chapter explores Pam’s experience using the lens of the autonomic nervous system and Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory. It attempts to fill a gap in our understanding of childbirth experiences, outcomes, and their subsequent impacts, centering our human needs for intimate safety and autonomic co-regulation in the birth of our next generation. The chapter first reviews Polyvagal Theory and the autonomic regulation of childbirth. It covers the role of the vagus nerve, the optimal autonomic state for birth, and autonomic contributors to birth trauma. The chapter returns to Pam’s story and offers an interpretation of her experience from the perspective of Polyvagal Theory, concluding with reflections on the cyborgification of birth.